*** I will be
on campus approximately one hour before each class meeting.

Contact me to
arrange a meeting. ***

Course Description and
Themes

The twentieth
century, declared historian Eric Hobsbawm, was an “age of extremes”—of great
idealism, along with brutal militarism; of humanitarian crusades, along with
calculated genocide; of unprecedented prosperity, along with crushing poverty.No part of the world escaped the extremes of
the century.Understanding this recent
(but sometimes strange) past can help us to comprehend our present times.This course explores the history of the
twentieth century from a global perspective.We will look at the big picture of social, political, cultural, and
economic changes, while also considering how those changes affected individual
lives.We begin with the high point of
European imperialism on the cusp of World War I and close with our current era
of globalization alongside religious fundamentalism.We cover such topics as the great revolutions
of the century, the rise of postcolonial nationalism, the collapse of global
communism, and the origins of the world financial system that is now in crisis.Of particular relevance to the course is the
importance of ideas in shaping history.We will use a variety of sources, including important films and
influential works of fiction.

·Yasmin
Khan, The Great Partition: The Making of
India and Pakistan (Yale Press, 2008 [2007]) ISBN-10: 0300143338; ISBN-13:
978-0300143331.

·Philip
Gourevich, We Wish to Inform You That
Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda (Picador,
1999 [1998])ISBN-10: 0312243359; ISBN-13:
978-0312243357.

+ Short readings posted on Telesis.

Class Structure and Expectations

Classes consist
of both lectures and discussions (usually a mixture of the two).Lectures outline critical themes, provide
important factual information, and frame key questions for subsequent
discussions.Fruitful discussion requires
close engagement of the readings, listed just
below each class date.

Since this is a
once a week course, you are advised to attend every session.Please clear foreseeable excused absences in
advance.In the event of
emergencies—e.g., illness—please notify me of your absence as soon as possible.

If you require
accommodations for exams or for lectures, please contact Cornerstone: the
Center for Advanced Learning (www.cornerstone.wustl.edu,
935-5970, cornerstone@wustl.edu).
Cornerstone serves as the official University resource for approving and
arranging students’ accommodations. All information is treated as
confidential.I will provide
accommodations for which you qualify as long as I receive the appropriate
documentation from Cornerstone.

Participation, including weekly
written summaries (20% of final grade).

Quality participation reflects
engagement with the assigned readings.Raising important questions represents one valuable way of
contributing to discussions.The
participation component may also include extemporaneous in-class
assignments.

Prepare a 1-2 pp. written response
to the weekly non-textbook readings.While the response should provide a brief summary of the
reading(s), its main purpose is to serve as a starting point for in-class
discussion.It is intended as
a first draft interpretation of what we will “unpack” together in
class.Please type your responses.

Review essay on The Great Partition (15%).

In-class reflection on We Wish to Inform You . . .(5%).

Paper and an in-class presentation
on an important 20th-century nonfiction book (20%).In addition to analysis of the book,
this assignment will require focused secondary-source research on both the
book and the author.

Midterm (20%) and final exam (20%).

Grading
Scale:A93-100C+77-79

A-90-92C73-76

B+87-89C-70-72

B83-86D60-69

B-80-82 F0-59

Academic
Integrity and Plagiarism
As you know, students at Washington
University are expected
to adhere to the highest standards of behavior. Plagiarism, copying from
other students, and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. It is
dishonest and a violation of student academic integrity if you plagiarize,
cheat on an examination, copy or collaborate on assignments without permission,
fabricate or falsify data or records, or engage in other forms of deceit or
dishonesty. Complete information about the University’s Academic
Integrity Policy may be found at http://artsci.wustl.edu/~college/Policies/;
click on “Academic Integrity Policy.”All violations of standard rules of academic integrity will be reported
to and investigated by the Dean of University College. If it is
determined that you have acted dishonestly, or even if you have admitted the
charges prior to a formal investigation or hearing, an appropriate sanction
will be imposed, including automatic failure of the assignment or course, or in
the case of serious or repeat violations, suspension or expulsion from the
University. Withdrawing from a course will not prevent the Dean from imposing
or recommending sanctions. If you observe another student violating this
policy, you have a responsibility to confront the student, report the
misconduct to the instructor, and/or seek advice from the appropriate dean or
academic integrity officer.For additional
information, definitions of plagiarism, guidelines for writing and research,
examples of proper citation, and practical tips on avoiding conventional and
Internet plagiarism, please visit the following Web sites:www.plagiarism.org and http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~writing/plagiarism.htm.Note that citation standards apply as equally
to Internet-based materials as to printed materials.Please let me know if you have any questions
about proper citation, attribution of sources, collaboration with other
students, or any other related aspect of academic integrity and plagiarism.

Course
Schedule

8/26Week 1

Introduction:
Talking about the Twentieth Century

Empires and
–Isms

READING

The World in the Twentieth Century (World),
Chp. 1 (read at some point in week)